Madeline Salerno rehearses a musical number with the rest of the City Youth Players theatre troupe at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School in Thornhill. (Photo courtesy Wayne Davis)
City Youth Players want to bring Haiti to Thornhill this weekend.
And cast members past and present have rallied together to do so.
On Sat., Jan. 30, the City Youth Players theatre troupe will remount their production of the Tony Award-winning musical Once on This Island, with all ticket sales going directly to World Vision to assist in the earthquake-devastated region.
The play, first performed by Players in 2008, is based on the novel My Love, My Love: The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy. It tells the story of four Haitian gods unleashing their fury on the island, and the inhabitants who overcome the odds to survive.
After hearing news of the earthquake earlier this month, the original cast members decided to put the show on again — this time to help Haitians instead of just portraying them.
“The play is so relevant right now,” says Peter Salerno, who plays Papa Ge, the god of death. “We really want the audience to connect with the story and understand Haitian culture, which will hopefully encourage them to donate to World Vision.”
The evening has been organized by the youth performers themselves, using their talents to help the devastated nation of Haiti in any way they can. Combine that with a community that’s eager to get involved, and the show’s success seems inevitable.
They’ve already got over 100 confirmed guests on their Facebook group.
And, there’s talk of adding a Sunday show (check www.cityyouthplayers.com for details as this decision wasn’t known at press time).
“So many people have come forward to help us put this show together,” says Caroline Watters, cast member and production manager.
“All the actors have donated their time, parents are ironing costumes, high school students are volunteering and we’ve had lots of items donated to us.”
With most of the original cast members away at university, many have been making the trip back to the GTA to rehearse and re-learn their characters.
“We have people coming from Montreal, Guelph and Waterloo,” Watters says. “They all made the trip back for rehearsals and are coming back into town for the show.”
The players’ rallying together has impressed musical director Megan Davis.
“I have so much admiration for the youth that organized this production,” says Davis. “They want to give back so badly, and they’re doing it the only way they know how. It really is amazing.”
Davis is looking forward to seeing Once On This Island in production again, even if only for one night.
“It’s not a pessimistic show,” she says. “It’s uplifting and celebrates the power of the human spirit. People will leave this show feeling inspired, having seen images of Haitians overcoming their struggles.”
Although Salerno admits playing the god of death is challenging, he says the current crisis in Haiti will bring a deeper understanding of his character and the difficulties facing Haitians today.
“It makes the role that much more significant,” he says. “Hopefully my emotional connection will give the story a realistic edge so that the audience can relate.”
The show is being held at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School in Thornhill, at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets (adults $25, students $15) can be purchased at the door or through Caroline Watters at (416) 669-8940 or caroline.watters22@gmail.com.
